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A consignment of 780 Black Spotted Turtles was confiscated by Sindh Wildlife Department from a house in Gizri yesterday. The alleged turtle smugglers include three Chinese and nine Pakistanis, who have been taken to court by the wildlife department officials.The judge has ordered the release of three of the Pakistani smugglers on bail at PKR 50,000 per person. The judge has also issued a release order for the turtles to be returned to their natural habitat. Initially, there were difficulties to send the accused to jail under court orders. However, we appreciate the timely and tireless support of Rizwan Mehboob, Adviser to Prime Minster of Pakistan, because of whom the initial difficulties were averted. [Read more…] about Sindh Wildlife Department officials face pressure regarding the alleged turtle smugglers in Karachi

Having been chained for 20 years, ‘Saheli’ the female elephant of Islamabad zoo could no longer bear the ordeal of life in confinement, standing in one posture, infections in her feet and agony in her soul. She died on May 1, 2012. The six remaining elephants, thinly spread in four different zoos of Pakistan await a similar fate. ‘Kaavan’ in Islamabad, ‘Suzi’ in Lahore, ‘Noor Jehan’ and ‘Madhubala’ in Karachi zoo and ‘Malika’ and ‘Sonu’ at Safari Park. Ironically it is not our love but gifts, poaching, smuggling and selling that forcibly removed these elephants from their natural habitats. The elephants in our zoos may well be compared with the prisoners of Guantanamo – caged, tied with chains, confined in solitary cells, ill-treated, ill-fed and emotionally battered. [Read more…] about Elephants – from cells to sanctuaries

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“Why waste time on animal rights when humans don’t get their rights here?” is the usual response to the idea of animal welfare or animal rights in Pakistan. Meanwhile, animal lovers and activists strive to change the mindset that makes both these issues mutually exclusive.

In July and August of 2010, floods wiped out 1.2 million large and small animals in Pakistan and left those that survived in poor condition with limited access to food. For Eid-ul-Azha that year, Pakistan Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) initiated a campaign to help restore the lives and livelihood of people affected by the floods. We encouraged people to buy a female goat and send it back to a village to replace what was lost and help people back onto their feet. [Read more…] about Supporting Livelihoods – Goats for Flood Victims